A suicide car bomber exploded in the Afghan town of Kandahar, in the south of the country, killing eight civilians and injuring around 20 people, among which two police officers. Apparently, the wounded were all in serious condition.

Police said the target of the attack was a NATO military convoy which passed by shortly before the explosion. No NATO troops were hurt in blast, police confirmed.

Taliban militants usually initiate suicide bombings in the area, aiming to kill Afghan or foreign troops, but the victims of the attacks are mostly civilians.

The number of such assaults performed by the Taliban in 2007 was of 140, the Associated Press informs.

The explosion in Kandahar destroyed several shops, as it took place on a busy street.

"May God kill you! You are killing our sons," cried a veiled woman, according to Agence France-Presse.

Her son was running a carpentry shop on the road, and was missing following the suicide attack. Most of the shops on the street were actually run by carpenters.

The agency also reported that the targeted NATO convoy might have been Canadian, but there is no confirmation yet from NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

Kandahar had been rocked by several Taliban attacks in the past months. Two suicide bombings in February killed nearly 140 people.

More than 8,000 people were killed in Taliban-related attacks in 2007. It was the deadliest year since 2001, when the US-led invasion knocked down their regime.